Pinakbet
Pinakbet is probably the most popular dish in the Philippines besides Adobo. Pinakbet is actually a Philippine version of the French Ratatouille except for the Bittermelon and Okra. Bittermelon and okra were added in pinakbet just because they are available all year round in the Philippines. It is a regional type of cooking so almost every region or provinces in the Philippines has a different version of the Pinakbet.
In my hometown, the real Pinakbet is consists of only five ingredients; eggplants, bittermelons, okra, tomatoes and shallots or small red onions. The rest varies by what you add. Pinakbet is called Bulanglang if you add pumpkin and long beans to the recipe plus the seasoning being used is the shrimp bagoong instead of the fish bagoong in Pinakbet.
I like adding pork as the main ingredient in Pinakbet. By sauteing the pork until it’s crackling, lends a very delicious flavor to the dish.